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H. E. PRIDMORE. MOWER.

No. 441,896. Patented Dec. 2,1890.

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Patented Dec. 2, 1890.

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I MOWER I N0. 441,896. ,Patented Dec. 2,1890.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HENRY E. PRIDMORE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE MCCORMICK IIARVESTING MACHINE COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 441,896, dated December 2, 1890.

Application filed September 1, 1887- Serial No. 248,507. (No model.)

T at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY E. PRIDMORE, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mowers, of which the following is a specification.

These improvements may be assumed for present purposes to relate to two-wheel front- [0 cut hinged-bar mowers, as, in fact, the majority of them actually do, although it will be evident from the ensuing description that certain of them may be applied to other forms of mowers or harvesters.

They consist, mainly,in the employment of a gag-lever pivoted to the finger-bar bridge and having a spring-connection with the liftinglever on the main frame arranged to act, first, on the heel of the finger-bar to ease and raise the outer end of said bar, and then as its energy increases bythe action of the lever upon the coupling-frame itself to raise finger-bar and coupling-frame together; in connecting the finger-bar bridge above the shoe with the 2 5 shifting doubletree by means of a draft-link, whereby the draft'will more eifectively lighten the fingenbar upon the ground and will resist an undue tendency to rock, and in certain other devices and details of construction hereinafter described.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view of a front-cut mower embodying my invention, the seat being omitted, the controllinglevers sectioned, and the inside carrying 3 5 wheel partly broken away the more clearly to expose the mechanism. Fig. 2 is an elevation of said machine from the grain side with the inside wheel removed and part of the gearcase and lifting-lever broken away and with no the finger-bar in section. Fig.' 3 is a vertical section parallel with the draft-tongue upon the line indicated in Fig.1 bylike numerals, and seen from the stubble side. Fig. i is a rear elevation with the inside wheel removed and 4,5 the main axle partly broken away; Fig. 5, an

enlarged detail showing the universal joint.

between the front arm orlateral brace of the forked coupling-frame and the main frame beneath the forward end of the crank-shaft; Fig. 6, an enlarged detail of the gear-train in horizontal section through the gear-box to explain the method of throwing the prime pinion out of mesh; and Figs. 7 and 8 diagrammatic views, the first representing the prime pinionin mesh and the second the prime pinion out of mesh with the relative position of the actuating mechanism; Figs. 9 and 10, respectively, a top plan view and a stubble-end elevation of the finger-bar bridge detached; and Figs. 11 and 12, respectively, a top plan and rear elevation in section of the inner shoe.

The main frame A of the machine is pref erably formed as a single casting having a long sleeve-bearing b for the main axle B and a second forwardly-set sleeve-bearing c for the crank-shaft C,which latter bearing at its rear end passes beneath the main axle; also, a seat cl for the draft-tongue D, which therefore is rigid with the main frame, and agear-case D, having hinged cap or cover (1, all supported by carrying-wheels E, one at each end of the axle.

The machine as thus far described does not or need not differ materially from any 75. now in use.

Keyed fast to the main axle is a spur gear F, meshing with a prime pinion F, formed upon the hub g of or otherwise rigidly affixed to a bevel-gear G, running loosely upon a spindle II, that extends through the gearcase parallel with the axle. This bevel-gear in turn meshes with and drives a pinion H, fast to the rear endof the crank-shaft, thereby, through the medium of the pitman H imparting motion to the sickle. In order to throw the prime pinion out of mesh with the main gear, the spindle upon which it revolves is made to oscillate upon an eccentric axis and is controlled by a lever, so that the axis of revolution of said prime pinion may be shifted nearer to or farther from the main gear. Such eccentric axis is con venieutly obgoon. To an offset or lug i from this sleeve or hub is rigidly secured the heel end of a lever I, having at one end a weight 2", so that it mayhave sufficient inertia to be readily swung from one extreme of movement to the other by a push when thrown forward, carrying the pinion out of mesh, and when thrown rearward taking it again into mesh. In order that this clutch-lever may be locked at the extreme of each of its movements and held against any oscillations or vibrations due to the motion of the machine, it is preferably made as a thin elastic bar of metal, and a flange I is outset from the gear-case above the projecting portion of the sleeve and serving as a cap thereto. This flange, being concentric, or nearly so, with the sleeve, affords two. shoulders or stops 70 7c, underneath one or the other of which the lever may be sprung at either extreme of itsmotion, and against theiopposite one of which the lug or offset from.thesleeve-towhich the heel end of the leveris pinned will also abut tobar motion in the reverse direction to that from which the lever=is itself prevented. For instance, when the prime .pinion is in mesh, the lever-is sprung'inunder the shoulder 70 and this offset is abutting against the shoulder 7c. Now itbeingdesired to throw the pinion outof mesluithe lever is pushed aside until released from the shoulder it, when it-can be swung past theflange until it reaches and. springsin behind the shoulder 7c, and is prevented from returning,'while in the same movement the offset is swung round beneath the flange until it comes in contact with the shoulder is, andtherebyprevents the lever from advancing. Thus the pinion will be locked out of mesh. To throwitinto mesh again the operation will be simply reversed but when throwinginto mesh the arrangement of the eccentrics is such that the rocking of the primepinion spindle, and consequently the motion of the pinion itself, will be in the direction of revolution of the adjacent periphery of the I main gearthat is, if such periphery is rising the prime pinion itself will be carried n'pso that theinitialengagement will take place smoothly, and the revolution of the main gear itself will tend-to completesuch engagement and-retain the lug or offset against its stop, which .is struck as soon as the gear and pinionare fully in mesh.

The coupling-frame is formed with a front or lateral arm or brace L, united with the main frame by a ball-joint Z, arranged beneath and near the front end of the sleeveupon thesame diagonally-set axis. Beyond the point where the thrust-bar meets the lateral brace the latter is bent horizontally to form an elongated journal L transverse to the line of advance of the machine, upon which is supported, either by a long sleeve-' bearing on or by two independent rigidly-connected bearings set some distance apart, the forked bridge M, to the arms of which the inner shoe M is hinged by means of the pivots m, set on an axis parallel with the line of draft. Therefore while the finger-bar hinges upon the forked bridge the bridge and fingerbar rock together on the axis of the latter and about the coupling-frame.

From the inner end of the bearing of the forked bridge upon the coupling-frame or from the inner bearing. thereof rises a lever-arm N, which isconnected by a linkn with the tilting lever N, pivoted :upon the main frame and having a stop-dogor detent or, working in an eccentric rack .N andadjustable as to the distance to which it may fall by means of a set-screw n passing through its heel end and bearing against .thc.lever,--so that it may either engage with all the interdental spaces of said rack to lock theforked bridge and finger-barv against rocking atiany adjustment, or may butt againstvany given tooth of the rack and ride 1 over all those .to the rear thereof without engagement, thus permitting the finger-bar to rock froma certain limit, or else may escape all of the teeth of said rack and-permit thefinger-bartorock without positive control. To this feature of the tilting lever in itself I do notherein lay any claim.

Heretofore a draft-rod link or chain has been connected with the thrust-bar or with one of the arms of the coupling-frame. and extended thence to the hammer-strap orother means of attachment to the doubletree, so as to lift the couplingframe by the draft of the team more or less as the doubletree shifts with said draft. Hereinit is proposed to connect the draft-rod O or equivalent instrumentality with the forked bridge at. a point 0 near the bearing of the latter uponthe coupling-brace and above the shoe and thence extend it to a connection with the doubletree. Preferably this second connection is made through the instrumentality of a short lever O, pivoted at the opposite side of the draft-tongue to a plate pivoted tosai'd .120 tongue and projecting through a guard-slot or keeper 0', formed-in said plate. at the inner side of the tongue, beyondthis keeper having a hook o over which a link 0 from the draft-rod catches. This short'lever has a series of perforations 0 along its length, to one or the other of which the hammer-strap O ispivoted, so that it may beshifted to one side or the other to counteract side draft.

In order to raise the finger-bar and coupling-frame,.a gag-lever Pis pivoted upon-a stud-axle p, projecting rearwardly from the sleeve-bearing of the forked bridge upon the outer end of the lateral brace. The powerarm of this lever is sustained by a link P, passing up through the slotted end 19' of the lifting-lever P and above that receiving an expansion-spring p which bears constantly against the lifting-lever and is adjusted in stress by means of a nut 19 so as to draw more or less powerfully upon the link. The lifting-lever itself is pivoted above the point of connection with the link and has a detentpawl 19, which latches into a segment-rack P supported upon the tongue, so that the lever maybesetatanydesiredadj ustment. The nose 8 of the gag-lever is by means of the springlink kept in constant contact with a spur S from the heel end of the finger-bar inside the pivotal connection between the finger-bar and forked bridge, thus tending to lift the outer end with a force determined by the tension of the spring or by the adjustmentof the lifting-lever. A finger 8 projects from this end of the gag-lever, so as to come in contact with and lock against a ledge or flange s ,projecting from the sleeve above the heel of the finger-bar. In ordinary adjustments this finger does not touch the ledge; but when it is desired to lift the coupling-frame the liftinglever is depressed until the force applied to the spur projection from the finger-bar has so far borne it down and lifted the outer end as to allow the finger to come against the ledge. Then any further depression of the lifting-lever will carry up the finger-bar and coupling-frame together, always, however, with some elasticity, owing to the spring interposed between the lifting-lever and the coupling-frame.

I do not herein claim, broadly, thecoinbination, with a rocking finger-beam, of detent mechanism which holds it rigidly against rocking and an adjustable stop whereby said detent'mechanism may be thrown out of action to permit the finger-bar to float and rock freely, such being the invention of Villiam R. Baker, of Chicago, Illinois, according to the best of my information and belief; but

\Vhat I do claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, substantially as here inbefore set forth, with the rigid forked coup ling-frame composed of lateral brace and thrust-bar integral therewith and the j ournalextension of said lateral brace beyond the junction, of the finger-bar bridge sleeved to said journal-extension and provided with a lever-arm, the tilting lever, and the link connecting said arm and lever.

2. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of the main frame, the coupling-frame hinged thereto, the finger-bar having a hinge-connection with said couplingframe, the gag-lever supported from the coup ling-frame and acting upon a spur on the inner end or heel of the fingeubar, a lifting-lever, and a spring'connection between said lifting-lever and the power-arm of the gag-lever arranged to have its energy increased as the lifting-lever is thrown back to raise the coup ling-frame.

The combination, substantially as hereinbcfore set forth, of the coupling frame hinged to the main frame, the finger-bar bridge having a sleeve-bearing upon a journal-extension from said coupling-frame, a gag: lever pivoted upon astub-axle from said sleeve, the fingerbeam hinged to the bridge and having a spur on the inner side of said bridge, against which the nose of the gag-lever acts, a lifting-lever, a link connecting said lifting-lever with the gag-lever, and a spring interposed between said link and the liftinglever.

4. The combination, substantially as here- I inbefore set forth, of the coupling-frame hinged to the main frame, the finger-bar bridge having a sleeve-bearing upon a journ al-extension from said coupling-frame, a gag lever pivoted upon a stub-axle from said sleeve, the finger-beam hinged to the bridge and having a spur on the inner side of said bridge, against which the nose of the gag-1e ver acts, a lifting-lever,a1ink connecting said lifting-lever with the gag-lever, a spring interposed between said link and the lifting-lever, and means for the adjustment of said spring.

5. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of the forked couplingframe hinged to the main frame, the fingerbar bridge having a long sleeve-bearing upon a j ournal-extension from said coupling-frame, the gag-lever pivoted to a stub-axle from said sleeve-bearing, the finger-bar hinged to the bridge and having a spur on the inner side of its pivot therewith, against which the nose of the gag-lever comes, a stop or ledge from the sleeve, against which a finger from the gag-lever comes whenever the finger-bar is sufficiently rocked upon its connection with the bridge, a lifting-lever, and a springconnection between said lifting lever and gag-lever.

6. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set ,forth, of the coupling-frame hinged to the main frame, the finger-bar bridge having a long slceve-bearing upon a journalextension from said coupling-frame, the gag lever pivoted to a stub-axle from said sleevebearing, the finger-bar hinged to the bridge and having a spur on the inner side of its pivot therewith, against which the nose of the gagdever comes, a stop or ledge from the sleeve, against which a finger from the gaglever comes whenever the fingerbar is sufiiciently rocked upon its connection with the bridge, a link from the power-arm of the gag lever passing through a slot in the weightarm of the liftinglever, and a coiled expansion-spring encircling said link above the lifting-lever.

7. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, with the coupling-frame hinged to the main frame, finger-bar bridge having a long sleeve-bearing upon said coup- ICC ling-frame, and finger-bar pivoted to said bridge, of the draft-rod extending from the finger-bar bridge above the shoe to a connection with the shifting dolibletree.

5 8. Thecombination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, with 'the-coupling frame, the finger bar bridge having alongsleevebearing-on said coupling-frame, and the fingei' bar-hinged to said bridge, of the tilting lever connected With-an armfrom said'sleeve- 1o bearing, and the draft-rod connecting the finger-bar bridge above the shoe with the shifting doubletree.

HENRY -E. PRIDMORE.

WVitnesses: V

A. S. WELLS, :LQVASSALL. 

